Shema

Shema is an internationally acclaimed professional Dance Artist, Musician and Writer, based in Egypt but in demand all over the world for her dynamic and authentic performances and exceptional teaching skills. She specialises in Raqs Sharqi (literally 'Eastern Dance', or Arabic dances) and Raqs Maghrebi (Dance of the West, or Moroccan dances).

Shema is renowned for her elegant and feminine styling with a powerful yet sensitive approach to Middle Eastern dance. Always interested in the history and development of this art form, she presents Egyptian Cabaret, as well as traditional Folk dances from the Middle Eastern, Arabic and North African world, also exploring how they have developed and influenced modern styles. These include Tannoura (Egyptian Whirling), Sai'idi (Upper Egypt), Khaleegy (Gulf region), and Moroccan Tanjaoua Sha'abi. She is also expanding into using styles such as Debke and Moroccan Gnawa rhythms and she regularly works with live musicians across the world. She is currently living in a Bedouin village in Egypt, researching the dance, music and culture of the Tarabin Tribe in South Sinai, whilst continuing to perform and teach in Egypt and internationally.

Shema has taught, performed and lectured in Europe, Canada, United States, Morocco and Egypt and she is honoured to both study and work with some of the world’s most talented dancers and musicians. She has been a regular guest artiste at Planet Egypt in London since 2006; Artist in Residence at Silk Route in London during 2009/11; European guest teacher and performer for the world-renowned Bellydance Superstars' event 'Raqs Britannia' (UK) in 2010; lecturer and featured performer at the 'International Bellydance Conference of Canada' in 2010 and guest speaker and performer at MassRaqs in Boston USA in 2011.

Web sites:
Website: www.shemaraqs.com
Egypt Blog: www.shemaraqs.blogspot.com
Music Page: www.myspace.com/shemaraqs
Facebook: Shema Raqs
YouTube: Shema Raqs

Articles on Gilded Serpent by or about Shema

5-17-12 Meet the Neighbors, Chapter 2 of Veiling in the Desert by Shema
I sit here in my Bedouin house with a cup of green tea and some helawa (halva) and I can still hear the women laughing outside. Although my focus here is to learn the dance, I always feel that in order to understand a traditional dance form, I need also to understand the culture.
2-21-12 Veiling in the Desert, Moving to Egypt to Study Bedouin Dance, Culture, and Language …and Maybe to Buy a Camel! by Shema
I was a little nervous about dancing in front of the Bedouin musicians. Although I had been itching to get up and dance all evening, a fear of causing offense or of behaving inappropriately in some way had stopped me from asking.
12-18-11 Edward and Tahia; Breaking Down Cultural Appropriation Myths by Shema/ EmmaLucy Cole
But what is “culture,” and how (if at all) have we appropriated it? Who is the implied speaker here, and what makes us believe that there is disapproval being voiced?
5-25-11 The Transformation of Beauty, Inverting the Gaza, Part 3 by Shema
As women and performers, why cannot we see beyond physical representation, when we, too, are trying our hardest to achieve such beauty in our own lives? Such hypocrisy ensures that we can never escape the limitations that society and, thus, we place these same limitations upon our own bodies.
3-10-11 Cultural Traditions vs Sexual Stereotypes Part 2 of The Female Gaze or "Medusa Dualities in Female Bellydance Performance and How the Gaze Continues to be Relevant Today" by Shema
There is a fine line between respecting cultural traditions and histories and reinforcing behaviours which are inherently damaging to the perception of the female body and its rights.
8-15-10 Inverting the Gaze, Medusa Dualities in Female Bellydance Performance and How the Gaze Continues to be Relevant Today by Shema
This is not so hard to understand when we consider that the representation of female sexuality has been so over-developed as to become almost a parody of itself.
4-16-10 Belly Dance and Feminism: Different Issues, Different Perspectives Introduction to IBCC Panel on Bellydance and Feminism
Feminism embraces more than one point of view, and feminist perspectives lead to many different decisions and courses of action. Feminism is a tool for thinking – for understanding and putting a name to issues you may be wrestling with in your own dance life, and for seeing belly dance in the light of broader economic, social and political realities.
5-5-09 One Hip in Each Camp, My Experience of Working in Both the Arabesque Dance Company and the Arabesque Orchestra by Shema/EmmaLucy Col
My dancing is fuelled by my understanding of the music and now, my playing is influenced by the emotions I experience when I dance. It is a cyclical experience which has been boosted by this incredible opportunity to work with some of the most talented Arabic musicians on the scene.